Civil Engineer Average Salary in Australia 2024
How much money does a person working as Civil Engineer make in Australia?
LOW
40,200
AUD AVERAGE
83,700
AUD HIGH
131,000
AUD
A person working as Civil Engineer in Australia typically earns around 83,700 AUD. Salaries range from 40,200 AUD (lowest) to 131,000 AUD (highest).
Salary Variance
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Civil Engineer salaries in Australia vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Civil Engineer Pay Scale and Salaries in Australia
Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison
78,200 AUD or more
68,900 to 78,200 AUD
48,400 AUD or less
48,400 to 68,900 AUD
 40,200 AUD |
78,700 AUD |
131,000 AUD |
Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range
Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary
Salaries for the position Civil Engineer in Australia range from 40,200 AUD (starting salary) to 131,000 AUD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
Median Salary
With a median salary of 78,700 AUD, half of the professionals who work as Civil Engineer in Australia earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
Percentiles and Salary Scale
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Civil Engineer in Australia earn less than 64,100 AUD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 90,300 AUD while 25% earn more.
Pay Scale Structure
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Civil Engineer in Australia compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 48,400 AUD to 68,900 AUD. About 20% of salaries are below the 48,400 AUD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 68,900 AUD to 78,200 AUD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 78,200 AUD.
Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Civil Engineer / Australia
How do experience and age affect pay?
| 0 - 2 Years | 47,000 AUD | |
| 2 - 5 Years | +42% | 66,600 AUD |
| 5 - 10 Years | +31% | 87,600 AUD |
| 10 - 15 Years | +23% | 108,000 AUD |
| 15 - 20 Years | +6% | 115,000 AUD |
| 20+ Years | +10% | 126,000 AUD |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Civil Engineer and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 47,000 AUD.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 66,600 AUD, 42% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 87,600 AUD, 31% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 108,000 AUD, 23% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 115,000 AUD, 6% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 126,000 AUD, 10% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers
Salary Comparison By Education / Civil Engineer / Australia
How do education levels affect salaries?
Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Civil Engineer.
| Bachelor's Degree | 73,900 AUD | |
| Master's Degree | +43% | 106,000 AUD |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Civil Engineer in order to make a comparison.
Level 1: Bachelor's Degree
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 73,900 AUD.
Level 2: Master's Degree
At this level, the average salary becomes 106,000 AUD, 43% more than the previous level.
Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Australia costs anywhere from 38,000 AUD to 114,000 AUD and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers
Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Civil Engineer / Australia
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Civil Engineer in Australia, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.
| Male | 85,900 AUD | |
| Female | -5% | 81,900 AUD |
Salary Comparison By Gender in Australia for all Careers
Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Civil Engineer / Australia
How much are annual salary increments in Australia for individuals working as Civil Engineer? How often do employees get salary raises?
Individuals working as Civil Engineer in Australia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
Australia / All Professions
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
How to calculate the salary increment percentage?
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs
Salary Packages and Schemes
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
Bonus and Incentive Rates / Civil Engineer / Australia
How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?
Share This Chart Tweet Get Chart Linkhttp://www.salaryexplorer.com/charts/australia/engineering/civil-engineer/annual-salary-bonus-rate-australia-civil-engineer.jpg
42% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 58% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
| Received Bonus | 58% | |
| No Bonus | 42% |
Types of Bonuses Considered
Individual Performance-Based BonusesThe most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
Bonuses Are Not Commissions!
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?
The main two types of jobs | |
| Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
Average Hourly Wage / Civil Engineer / Australia
40 AUD per hourThe average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Civil Engineer in Australia is 40 AUD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.
About The Hourly Pay Rate
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Civil Engineer in Australia is 19 AUD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Salary comparison with similar jobs
| Job Title | Average Salary |
| Engineering |  -100% | |
| 3D Printing Engineer | 77,300 AUD | -8% |
| Acoustics Engineer | 80,600 AUD | -4% |
| Assembly Engineering Technician | 66,300 AUD | -21% |
| Assistant Chief Engineer | 88,200 AUD |  +5% |
| Associate Engineer | 75,300 AUD | -10% |
| AutoCAD Drafter | 49,300 AUD | -41% |
| Autocad Operator | 54,000 AUD | -35% |
| Automation Engineer | 89,300 AUD | +7% |
| Avionic System Support Engineer | 79,200 AUD | -5% |
| Biochemical Engineer | 73,500 AUD | -12% |
| BMS Engineer | 77,700 AUD | -7% |
| Bridge and Lock Tender | 43,700 AUD | -48% |
| Broadcast Engineer | 79,100 AUD | -6% |
| CAD Design Engineer | 83,900 AUD | +0% |
| CAD Designer | 51,600 AUD | -38% |
| CAE Engineer | 85,100 AUD | +2% |
| Ceramics Engineer | 73,100 AUD | -13% |
| Chemical Engineer | 85,600 AUD | +2% |
| Civil Drafter | 53,000 AUD | -37% |
| Civil Engineer | 83,700 AUD | -0% |
| Civil Site Engineer | 85,500 AUD | +2% |
| Civil Technician | 51,100 AUD | -39% |
| Cognitive Engineer | 79,300 AUD | -5% |
| Commissioning Engineer | 77,400 AUD | -8% |
| Communications Engineer | 88,500 AUD | +6% |
| Condition Monitoring Engineer | 68,100 AUD | -19% |
| Contract Associate Engineer | 74,900 AUD | -11% |
| Contract Engineer | 75,900 AUD | -9% |
| Control Systems Engineer | 81,100 AUD | -3% |
| Controls Engineer | 80,700 AUD | -4% |
| Controls Software Engineer | 73,600 AUD | -12% |
| Corrosion Engineer | 78,700 AUD | -6% |
| Design Engineer | 84,100 AUD | +0% |
| Director of Engineering | 162,000 AUD | +94% |
| Drafter | 49,800 AUD | -41% |
| Drafting Manager | 92,800 AUD | +11% |
| Drilling Engineer | 81,000 AUD | -3% |
| Drilling Foreman | 25,600 AUD | -69% |
| Electrical Draughtsman | 42,900 AUD | -49% |
| Electrical Engineer | 92,800 AUD | +11% |
| Electrical Engineering Manager | 123,000 AUD | +47% |
| Electromechanical Engineering Technologist | 87,300 AUD | +4% |
| Electromechanical Equipment Assembler | 43,200 AUD | -48% |
| Energy Engineer | 85,400 AUD | +2% |
| Engine Assembler | 35,800 AUD | -57% |
| Engineer | 91,500 AUD | +9% |
| Engineering Account Manager | 92,400 AUD | +10% |
| Engineering Chief Designer | 92,300 AUD | +10% |
| Engineering Consultant | 111,000 AUD | +33% |
| Engineering Key Account Manager | 121,000 AUD | +45% |
| Engineering Lab Technician | 76,700 AUD | -8% |
| Engineering Manager | 113,000 AUD | +35% |
| Engineering Planning Manager | 117,000 AUD | +40% |
| Engineering Production Manager | 147,000 AUD | +76% |
| Engineering Project Analyst | 98,300 AUD | +17% |
| Engineering Project Coordinator | 93,000 AUD | +11% |
| Engineering Project Director | 166,000 AUD | +98% |
| Engineering Project Leader | 106,000 AUD | +27% |
| Engineering Project Manager | 120,000 AUD | +43% |
| Engineering Research and Development Manager | 128,000 AUD | +53% |
| Engineering Safety Coordinator | 62,900 AUD | -25% |
| Engineering Sales Manager | 117,000 AUD | +40% |
| Engineering Technician | 66,700 AUD | -20% |
| Engineering Technologist | 64,900 AUD | -22% |
| Environmental Engineer | 77,800 AUD | -7% |
| Equipment Engineer | 73,400 AUD | -12% |
| Equipment Engineering Manager | 107,000 AUD | +28% |
| Estimator | 69,400 AUD | -17% |
| Fabrication Specialist | 60,800 AUD | -27% |
| Fabricator | 39,600 AUD | -53% |
| Facade Engineer | 77,700 AUD | -7% |
| Fiber Analyst | 47,100 AUD | -44% |
| Field Engineer | 85,900 AUD | +3% |
| Field Engineering Manager | 141,000 AUD | +68% |
| Fire Engineer | 83,100 AUD | -1% |
| Fitter and Turner | 26,900 AUD | -68% |
| Forestry Strategic Planner | 101,000 AUD | +21% |
| Generation Engineer | 84,000 AUD | +0% |
| Genetic Engineer | 90,600 AUD | +8% |
| Geological Engineer | 82,900 AUD | -1% |
| Geotechnical Engineer | 90,300 AUD | +8% |
| Heavy Equipment Mechanic | 44,100 AUD | -47% |
| Highway Engineer | 85,600 AUD | +2% |
| HSE Professional | 74,000 AUD | -12% |
| Human Machine Interface Engineer | 75,900 AUD | -9% |
| HVAC Engineer | 92,600 AUD | +11% |
| HVAC Supervisor | 74,900 AUD | -11% |
| Industrial Engineer | 76,800 AUD | -8% |
| Industrial Engineering Technologist | 80,400 AUD | -4% |
| Instrument Engineer | 82,100 AUD | -2% |
| Instrument Technician | 43,900 AUD | -48% |
| Instrumentation and Control Engineer | 80,000 AUD | -4% |
| Instrumentation Designer | 69,300 AUD | -17% |
| Instrumentation Engineer | 86,000 AUD | +3% |
| Instrumentation Manager | 82,200 AUD | -2% |
| Irrigation Engineer | 78,500 AUD | -6% |
| Licensed Aircraft Engineer | 92,300 AUD | +10% |
| Locomotive Engineer | 78,800 AUD | -6% |
| Maintenance Engineer | 76,800 AUD | -8% |
| Maintenance Fitter | 28,600 AUD | -66% |
| Maintenance Manager | 84,300 AUD | +1% |
| Manufacturing Engineer | 79,900 AUD | -5% |
| Marine Engineer | 84,500 AUD | +1% |
| Materials Engineer | 83,400 AUD | -0% |
| Materials Researcher | 77,600 AUD | -7% |
| Materials Technician | 60,000 AUD | -28% |
| Mechanical and Electrical Engineer | 92,100 AUD | +10% |
| Mechanical Design Engineer | 88,800 AUD | +6% |
| Mechanical Designer | 72,900 AUD | -13% |
| Mechanical Engineer | 91,800 AUD | +10% |
| Mechanical Engineering Manager | 111,000 AUD | +33% |
| Mechanical Inspector | 81,500 AUD | -3% |
| Mechatronics Engineer | 91,200 AUD | +9% |
| Mining Engineer | 80,700 AUD | -4% |
| Nanotechnology Engineer | 87,800 AUD | +5% |
| Natural Language Processing Engineer | 93,500 AUD | +12% |
| Oil and Petrochemical Engineer | 88,400 AUD | +6% |
| Optical Engineer | 83,400 AUD | -0% |
| Optical Instrument Assembler | 44,100 AUD | -47% |
| PCB Assembler | 30,600 AUD | -63% |
| Photonics Engineer | 89,500 AUD | +7% |
| Photonics Technician | 73,900 AUD | -12% |
| Pipeline Engineer | 77,500 AUD | -7% |
| Piping Designer | 46,500 AUD | -44% |
| Piping Engineer | 79,500 AUD | -5% |
| Planning Engineer | 87,900 AUD | +5% |
| Pressure Vessel Inspector | 38,900 AUD | -54% |
| Principal Cost Engineer | 86,000 AUD | +3% |
| Principal Engineer | 84,200 AUD | +1% |
| Principal Support Engineer | 85,300 AUD | +2% |
| Process Engineer | 81,300 AUD | -3% |
| Process Operator | 47,100 AUD | -44% |
| Product Development Engineer | 86,600 AUD | +3% |
| Product Development Technician | 61,600 AUD | -26% |
| Product Engineer | 87,700 AUD | +5% |
| Product Safety Engineer | 78,000 AUD | -7% |
| Production Engineer | 86,400 AUD | +3% |
| Project Engineer | 90,300 AUD | +8% |
| Proposal Manager | 111,000 AUD | +33% |
| Purchasing Engineer | 78,000 AUD | -7% |
| Quality Assurance Engineer | 85,500 AUD | +2% |
| Rail Engineer | 79,700 AUD | -5% |
| Regional Field Engineer | 92,000 AUD | +10% |
| Remote Sensing Engineer | 81,500 AUD | -3% |
| Robotics Engineer | 93,200 AUD | +11% |
| Robotics Technician | 68,300 AUD | -18% |
| Safety Engineer | 80,100 AUD | -4% |
| Safety Inspector | 61,900 AUD | -26% |
| Safety Manager | 94,600 AUD | +13% |
| Safety Officer | 43,500 AUD | -48% |
| Sales Engineer | 92,700 AUD | +11% |
| Scheduling Engineer | 75,600 AUD | -10% |
| Security Engineer | 86,100 AUD | +3% |
| Service Engineer | 84,500 AUD | +1% |
| Smart Home Engineer | 86,100 AUD | +3% |
| Solar Engineer | 89,800 AUD | +7% |
| Staff Engineer | 81,700 AUD | -2% |
| Static Equipment Engineer | 81,000 AUD | -3% |
| Stationary Engineer | 77,300 AUD | -8% |
| Stress Engineer | 75,400 AUD | -10% |
| Structural Analysis Engineer | 80,600 AUD | -4% |
| Structural Designer | 73,100 AUD | -13% |
| Structural Engineer | 81,600 AUD | -3% |
| Structural Technician | 54,200 AUD | -35% |
| Subsea Engineer | 105,000 AUD | +25% |
| Supply Chain Specialist | 79,800 AUD | -5% |
| Surveyor | 59,800 AUD | -29% |
| Technical Affairs Officer | 41,400 AUD | -51% |
| Technical Assistant | 43,000 AUD | -49% |
| Technical Engineer | 72,900 AUD | -13% |
| Technical Support Engineer | 68,100 AUD | -19% |
| Tender Engineer | 76,900 AUD | -8% |
| Test Development Engineer | 78,500 AUD | -6% |
| Test Engineer | 80,300 AUD | -4% |
| Transportation Engineer | 77,100 AUD | -8% |
| Urban Engineer | 84,100 AUD | +0% |
| Validation Engineer | 76,800 AUD | -8% |
| Verification Engineer | 75,300 AUD | -10% |
| Wastewater Engineer | 85,400 AUD | +2% |
| Wind Energy Engineer | 87,600 AUD | +5% |
| Wind Energy Operations Manager | 105,000 AUD | +25% |
| Wireless Engineer | 89,700 AUD | +7% |
| Work Planner | 56,900 AUD | -32% |
Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Australia is 5% on average across all career fields.
| Private Sector | 89,000 AUD | |
| Public Sector | +5% | 93,400 AUD |
Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide
What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Civil Engineer in Australia?
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 78,700 AUD and 90,300 AUD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
Base / Basic Salary
The base salary for a careers like Civil Engineer in Australia ranges from 40,200 AUD to 64,100 AUD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
What is the difference between the median and the average salary?
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
